Seminars

The Korea Institute of Child Care and Education (KICCE) held the "2nd ECEC Policy Symposium" on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at 2:30 PM in the Post Tower Sky Hall, under the theme "Policies for a Promising Future for Children in the Era of Low Birth Rates."

The symposium began with a welcome address by KICCE Director Ock Kyeung Hwang, followed by three main presentations and a discussion session.

The first presentation was delivered by Kang Eun jin, Senior Research Fellow at KICCE, on the topic "Envisioning the Future of Early Childhood Education and Care through Local Collaboration." She presented strategies to enhance the quality of early childhood education and care through cooperation between education offices and local governments.

The second presentation was given by Lee Sung Hoe, Research Fellow at the Korea Educational Development Institute and Director of the Neulbom Central Support Center, on "Policy Trends and Future Tasks of Neulbom Schools." She proposed the current status of the Neulbom School policy, which is set to be fully implemented this fall, and suggested future tasks for its successful establishment.

The third presentation was by Koo Ja Yeon, Associate Research Fellow at KICCE and Director of the Center for Supporting Kindergarten After School Program, on "Robust and Detailed After School Support System for Healthy Growth of Young Children." She discussed the operational direction of the kindergarten after school programs.

The discussion session of the symposium was conducted in a town hall meeting format, allowing participants to freely engage in discussions. The session was chaired by Chang Myung-Lim, Chair Research Fellow at the Korea Educational Development Institute. Before the open discussion, designated discussants included Kim Soo-hyun, an officer from the Early Childhood Policy Division of the Ministry of Education; Kim Minhee, a professor from the Department of Teacher Education at Daegu University; Kim Sung Sik, a professor from the Department of Elementary Education at Seoul National University of Education; Kwon Hye-Jin, a professor from the Department of Child Psychology and Education at Korea Nazarene University; and mother Lee Hye-min. The discussion continued with free exchanges of opinions based on the positions and perspectives of various experts from government agencies, academia, and parents, who are the targets of the policies proposed during the presentations.